Cyano-substituted Bis((benzothiophen-2-yl)pyridine) (acetylacetonate) iridium complexes for efficient and stable deep red organic light-emitting diodes emitting at 673 nm

This study explores the development of cyano-substituted bis((benzothiophen-2-yl)pyridine) (acetylacetonate) iridium complexes, specifically Ir(btpCN)₂(acac), for use in efficient and stable deep red organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) emitting at 673 nm. The new emitter, Ir(btpCN)₂(acac), was designed to achieve red-shifted emission through strategic cyano substitution at the meta-position of pyridine moiety of btp ligand, leveraging the favorable overlap between its emission spectrum and the absorption spectrum of the exciplex host composed of BCzPh and CN-T2T. The OLED devices employing Ir(btpCN)₂(acac) as the emitter exhibited a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 10.2 % and an emission wavelength of 673 nm. Significantly, these devices demonstrated superior operational stability, with a lifetime (LT₅₀) of 190.8 h at an initial luminance of 200 cd m⁻², which is among the highest reported for deep-red OLEDs in the literature. This remarkable stability is achieved without compromising the device performance, making Ir(btpCN)₂(acac) a highly promising candidate for commercial applications. In addition, the straightforward synthesis process of Ir(btpCN)₂(acac) further enhances its potential for widespread use. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of cyano-substituted Ir complexes for creating efficient, stable, and commercially viable deep-red OLEDs. The balanced performance of Ir(btpCN)₂(acac) in terms of efficiency, stability, and ease of synthesis marks a significant advancement in the development of OLED technology suitable for phototherapy and other applications requiring reliable deep-red light sources.